Insubordinate
by catthegreat
Summary: Eren can't manage to obey orders to save his life. Levi's starting to lose control over the titan shifter, which is something he can't really afford to do. As if scouting missions and irregular titans weren't bad enough before, he now has the constant concern the military police are going to take Eren if they see so much as a hair out of place. LevixEren, title may change.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **_I am a little behind on SNK right now, so I've tried my best to leave out too many spoilers for other people who are behind too. Enjoy!_

* * *

Eren had grown overly comfortable with him in the past weeks, Levi noticed. The brash child who'd been terrified to make a sound in fear of retribution was now questioning his decisions, acting rambunctiously around him and – dare he say? – being insubordinate. This change was sudden, new, and altogether unpleasant. Gone were the days when he could walk down the hall without hearing the mocking laughs regarding his height. Now he was lucky the scouting legion followed him at all.

A sharp peal of laughter, easily identified as Hanji, made Levi cringe. The result was a large ink blob in the middle of his report and a slight twitch above his left eye he feared to never be rid of. In sharp contrast to his normal quick temper, Levi instead resumed his work, hoping to have all the papers written and turned into Erwin before the military police found out they were late.

He'd barely continued working when there was a knock on his door. He ignored it. Whoever it was, was hardly as important as preventing yet another altercation with those unicorn-clad imbeciles.

"Corporal?" The voice was accompanied by an obnoxious creaking sound, indicating an opening door. His eye twitched again.

"Not now, Jäger." The scratching of the pen never ceased.

"Sir, I was wondering if I could speak with you." It wasn't a question, and unless the shorter man was deceived, it sounded as if Eren had blatantly disobeyed his orders and _walked into the room_.

"You have 5 seconds to get out of this room, so help me god." His patience was waning.

"It's about our mission tomorrow. Sir you have me listed as being in the back and – "

But Eren's concerns were never voiced, because at that moment, Levi felt his composure – as well as his pen – snap.

"If I turn around and see so much as a _hair_ of your presence in here, I will beat you within an inch of your life and deliver your cold, unconscious body to Hanji and let her perform whatever experiments she wants on you! _Leave._" There was a scrambling from behind him, and he knew without turning that Eren was gone. For reasons unknown to him, he turned to check. The damn kid had forgotten to close the door.

* * *

They were barely a day into their four day mission when Eren disobeyed him yet again. He'd given clear orders to the boy detailing how he was not, under any circumstances, to turn into his titan form. But did he listen? No. That thickheaded _brat_ transformed anyway, and he and the rest of the legion were forced to clean up the mess he'd left in his stead while he charged off chasing the other titans through the damn forest.

Control was something Levi prided himself on, and it was that control his junior lacked. If it weren't for the other's…_enthusiasm_…about killing the titans, he was positive he would've killed Jäger by now. As it was, he could barely restrain himself when Mikasa drug him back from wherever he ended up running out of steam.

To his credit, Levi managed to wait until the idiot woke up before he started yelling and kicking.

"There is no point in having rules when you disobey them!" Shot to the ribs. "You could have killed your teammates!" Kick to the head. "You're lucky Springer and Braus were only injured!" Right in the groin. "The next time you pull a stunt like that I'm going to kill you!"

And on and on it went. At one point, Levi gave up on yelling at him, simply grabbing the other's hair and punching him repeatedly in the face. This only angered him more, as he watched Eren's titan blood heal his wounds almost as soon as they appeared.

But Eren stayed silent. He didn't complain, didn't cry, didn't even whimper the entire time, and soon enough Levi tired out. The rest of the scouts were gone, too used to this behavior to care much anymore, leaving Levi and Eren alone on the ground. The elder just sat there, refusing to look at or speak to Eren, but not quite wanting to move yet either.

"I'm sorry." The words were spoken so softly – almost whispered – were it anyone else, they wouldn't have caught them.

But Levi did. His eyes widened ever so slightly, but he made no response. Nor did he make any other sign he'd heard. It wasn't until Eren stood to leave that he responded.

"You can't disobey orders." His voice was barely louder than Eren's had been.

Eren stopped. "I wasn't going to let them just die."

He took a different tactic. "The other branches want you within their ranks. They'll _take_ –"

"I know."

If Levi could've screamed at that moment, he would've. Instead, he dropped his voice. "If you know already, then why risk it?" He sneered. "Or perhaps it's that you wish to join those pigs behind the walls?"

"Of course not! Look, I already told you…"

But Levi didn't want to hear anymore. "Go. Find your friends or something."

And naturally, this time Eren obeyed without question. Not that he cared. He didn't care about anything the titan shifter did. Why should he? The boy was a useful tool, nothing more. He just needed to learn his place that was all…

* * *

Something was very, very wrong. Having been a soldier since before most of his men had been born – a fact he didn't need to be reminded of – he had better intuition when it came to things like this. He gave the order to approach slowly, then retreated to the back to better guard the boy.

"What's going on, sir?" Mikasa asked when he reached her.

"I don't know," was the response, his eyes never leaving their search of the forest.

What he didn't expect was for one of his own soldiers – the one he was guarding, nonetheless – to collapse off his horse onto the ground. "Ackerman!" He called. To his relief, she understood what he was implying and rode forward to take the lead.

Levi, in turn, dismounted. Eren was out cold. Resisting the urge to plant his foot between the other's ribs, he reached forward and felt his forehead. He jerked back almost immediately. The boy was burning up.

He racked his brains. What had Hanji said? Something about his body temperature being warmer because of the titan blood inside him. But then, there was no sign Jäger was about to turn either. So it must be something else.

She had mentioned something about the transformation causing his body extreme exhaustion if pushed too hard, hadn't she? He couldn't remember.

Damn that woman. Damn Erwin for letting her stay behind and conduct 'research'. Damn it all to hell.

"Jäger," he shook the boy's shoulder roughly. They were exposed here; titans could pop out at any moment. And the last thing he needed was some dead weight preventing him from getting his squad out of whatever bad situation they were in. "This is the worst," he sighed aloud.

Wrong thing to say.

An ear shattering roar tore through the trees. Two more followed it, and in seconds Mikasa reappeared at his side. "I can take care of this," his eyes honed in on the direction the sound came from. "Get everyone to the outpost as fast as possible."

"Eren?" She breathed, staring the same place he was.

"Won't be left behind." A 7 meter class titan appeared. "Go," he urged before activating his 3D gear and flying atop the nearest tree. He could handle this easily.

He launched his hooks into the trunk directly opposite him, then used the momentum from the gas to fling himself just past the back of the titan. Two flicks of his blades later, and the titan collapsed. Levi hardly had time to admire his handiwork, however, as there were several more 7 meter class titans approaching Eren's still body.

Using his maneuver gear again, he flew toward the other two titans, severing their spinal cords before they even noticed his existence. By then, there were even more titans, varying from 3 to 10 meters, all racing toward Eren. It was as if they were more attracted to his scent than Levi's. He even stood on the nose of a 10 meter titan, before stabbing it in the eye, and it hardly noticed him. It lazily swatted at its face, but not quick enough – or with enough intention – and Levi had already sliced through the back of its neck.

The sheer number of titans was seemingly endless. Levi may be the best of all mankind's soldiers, but even he was getting tired. After what seemed like hours of battle, he noticed a second, much larger problem than exhaustion; he was almost out of gas. He'd managed to make it last so long by jumping from titan to titan, taking advantage of their lack of attention, but now he had enough for maybe one more large attack.

It was right when he realized this that a 15 meter class titan appeared. Running through a mind-numbingly quick calculation, he blasted the last of his gas to launch himself directly onto the 15 meter titan's shoulder. He should've been able to tell something wasn't right the moment he moved; this one didn't have the same expression of disinterest the others had. As soon as Levi landed on its shoulder, the titan grabbed him around the waist.

Shit. Today was really not his day, was it? Couldn't catch a damn break.

The titan lifted mankind's strongest soldier – worth more than an entire brigade – before its face. The blades he'd been holding clattered uselessly to the forest floor below.

Titans really did resemble humans, he thought absently, watching this one's mouth grow larger. If titans had gender, he would call this one female; it – no, she – had a similar face shape to a human female. The only thing off about this one was its strange, too large smile. When he didn't immediately struggle, she squeezed her hand tighter. He heard a crack, and knew whatever gas was left in his maneuver gear was gone, along with the blades.

"Corporal!" Someone screamed from below.

Of course, the idiot would choose now to wake up.

"Corporal!" He shouted again.

If Levi could, he would've said something about redundancy not being an endearing trait. As it was, the 'female' titan holding him was continuing to increase her grip, and he could feel his ribs fracture. It wouldn't be long before his spine snapped too.

It didn't have time to. A roar, more guttural than the first he'd heard that day, sounded from behind him, and the next thing he knew he was falling. An enormous shadow fell over him as he hit the ground, and the last thought Levi had before slipping into unconsciousness was 'that rebellious idiot.'

* * *

A warm pressure wrapped around his hand. He couldn't move it. Oh god, he couldn't move anything.

No sooner had that thought crossed his mind, then Levi was forced back to the world of the living, the pressure on his hand abruptly disappearing. Someone was groaning. Oh. That was him. He shut up and opened his eyes.

Two large steaming bodies framed the background behind his disobedient junior's face. Not the best sight to wake up to. "Are you crying?"

Eren's eyes seemed swollen, and he had trails of clean skin amidst the dirt on his face. "No."

"But you were."

"No!" Jäger's face was more indignant than his voice, if that were possible.

He tried to shrug, the motion simply causing more pain than anything. He must've shown it too, because Eren suddenly looked more concerned.

"Sir, can you move?"

"Not easily. What time is it?"

"Getting close to sundown." That wasn't good. Sure, the titans slept at night, but there were wolves and all manner of other dangerous beasts mankind didn't often think about, roaming the woods. The safest and wisest move would be to get to the outpost as soon as possible. This was _why_ the scouting legion made the outposts in the first place. They may only be mildly safe when it came to titan attacks, but he and Eren would be protected from everything else. If they could get inside.

Keeping all that in mind, Levi put forth a valiant effort to sit up. His muscles weren't quite doing what he told them to, and so he instead ended up spasming until Eren restrained him. It seemed even when he wanted them to _stop_ moving, his muscles weren't obeying him. For the first time since seeing his entire squadron die before his eyes, Levi felt fear. But it wasn't death he feared.

He was completely at Eren's mercy. Eren. The boy he'd beaten within an inch of his life more than once. The same Eren he'd forbidden from using his titan form on this mission. The person who disobeyed all his orders. He was sure if, given the chance, Eren would leave him. And he said so.

"Well, what are you waiting for? This is your chance."

A confused expression graced the other's features. "My chance for what?"

"To be rid of me. I can't move. If you go now, you can make it to the outpost by dark. Tell them I fell to a titan. In all likelihood I'll be dead by morning. There won't be any retaliation."

Now the boy looked horrified. "Why would I leave you?"

Being unable to shrug was a serious issue.

"Levi…" He glared sharply at the boy. "Sir," Eren corrected. "I would never leave you out here."

And without anything further, he lifted Levi up like a sack of flour. "What are you doing?!" The shorter man raged.

"Didn't we have horses before?"

"They were well trained; they'll have already made it to the outpost by now." If he could thrash, he would. "And put me down!"

"Sir, you can't move your muscles very well. I remember the stories you told us about the wogs and being trapped out here alone in the dark. It doesn't really sound that fun." The boy started walking in the general direction they'd been headed earlier.

"_Wolves_, Jäger. Not wogs."

"Large dogs that begin with a w. Wogs."

"I am not arguing with you about this."

* * *

Darkness was upon them in almost no time. Luckily they had Levi's experience on their side, and he recalled seeing an abandoned farmhouse not far. Eren stumbled about, nearly dropping Levi twice – which he made a mental note about for later – before he finally found it.

The door was hanging from one hinge, but it was enough to keep the creatures at bay for one night. At least that's what Levi thought. Eren apparently didn't agree, because he promptly dropped Levi on the bed – causing the shorter man to cough and curse at the dust now flying around his face – and drug one of the chairs to the door. Well, at least the kid was being thorough.

The younger soldier returned to his side after that, looking hesitantly at the bed. Levi made no move to encourage him to sit; if the boy had balls he'd do it, otherwise he could fend for himself on the dusty floor. Not that the corporal cared either way.

Eren made up his mind and flopped down on the bed next to Eren. Another, larger, cloud of dust flew into the air, forcing them both into coughing fits. It was even worse for Levi, since he wasn't fully convinced his lungs were working properly.

"Sorry," Eren mumbled when the older man finally calmed his breathing back down. He decided not to respond. Silence fell between them. After a while, Levi decided he couldn't take hearing the kid fidget much more.

"So you 'rescued' me. What now? Going to blackmail me until I convince Erwin to promote you?" Which he would never do. Damn child couldn't even take care of himself, how was he supposed to take care of an entire squad?

Eren glared at him indignantly. Goodness, he certainly did that a lot. "I've looked up to you since I was a kid." Levi resisted the urge to remind him he _was_ still a kid. "I always heard stories of the great Levi, how you were – are – worth more than an entire brigade. I wanted to be just like you, but more than that, I wanted to fight _with_ you. I wanted you to acknowledge me."

The corporal cleared his throat, not knowing how to respond to such honest admiration. Sure, people were always singing his deeds to the wind, but they'd never truly wanted to fight with him. Everyone had always been content letting him fight mankind's battles alone.

Unaware of the other's inner thoughts, Eren plowed on. "And even though you tell me you hate me and kick me around, I still respect you. You're the best there is."

"I'm not that great." He spoke without thinking, and would've clapped a hand over his mouth, were he a fourteen year old girl. What did he mean he wasn't that great? He was a strong fighter and a good leader. In a world like this, those were the most important things.

But it was true, he wasn't that great. If he was, defeating that 15 meter titan wouldn't have been a problem. Instead he was reduced to lying on an old, dusty mattress, feeling like his entire body had been beaten mercilessly until his muscles were too bruised to move – which was pretty much what happened, actually.

"Levi." There it was again. His name, spoken so casually from a person who was supposed to fear him. He didn't even glare this time. "Look at me." No. He refused. "Please." Something in the tone of the other's voice _made_ him look.

Eren's face was much too close. And it was getting closer. An instant before it happened, Levi knew.

The boy's lips were soft and warm on his own, reminding him of the last pair he'd kissed. It was soft, nothing more than a peck, but he could already feel little tingles of electricity shooting through his body. He hadn't felt this since…

But now Eren was pulling away, the warmth gone. Without meaning to, Levi growled. "No." His hand snapped out, grabbing the other's arm, and he pulled the younger back toward him, smashing their lips together with more force than strictly necessary. Not that Eren was complaining. Not that he could.

They were both kissing each other now, though each one was shallow, frantic. At some point Eren had moved on top of Levi, straddling him. Levi felt the other's knees against his thighs and hands cradling his face. But it still wasn't enough.

He swiped his tongue across the other's lower lip, hoping to get the message across. Instead, it ended up ruining everything. Eren broke apart from him, the heat disappearing from Levi's cheeks. He was staring down at the older man, barely containing the lust in his eyes. Yet there was something else in his expression; something Levi couldn't quite place.

"Sir."

He raised his eyebrows. "You chose now to return to rank?"

But the other ignored the question. "I can't just…I shouldn't…"

"Speak your mind or I swear to every ancient deity I will murder you once I regain feeling in all my limbs. Why did you stop?"

"I'm sorry sir. I just…"

"Stop apologizing. Either tell me, or accept your punishment later."

At that, Eren snapped his mouth shut. They glared at each other for almost a full minute before the idiot finally decided to speak again. "Yes sir. I'll let you sleep then." A creaking sound accompanied the younger man's exit.

Levi ignored the twinge in his stomach, instead opting to close his eyes. If the kid wanted to be so damn indecisive then it wasn't his problem. Assuming the problems he _was _having moving were muscular and _not_ implying he'd broken his back, he'd be able to kick Jäger's ass again soon. He wiggled his toes experimentally. Good, so at least he wasn't paralyzed. He drifted to sleep, hoping he'd wake up and be able to move in the morning.

* * *

**AN:** _Well that wasn't a one-shot like I'd planned. Is there any interest in me continuing it? I have no idea where it's going yet; right now I'm just along for the ride. I'm not gonna put a "number" on interest required for me to continue this, but if there isn't any (or what I think of as enough) then it may be updated rarely if at all. What counts as enough? Well, whatever encourages me to get off my ass and write. Fallout still takes priority though, sorry!_

_Reviews are wonderful and appreciated, especially if you catch the pun I intentionally put in this chapter. :)_


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:**_ So I'm sure a fair number of you were probably thinking "goddammit, another ongoing story that will never be finished. ah well, may as well follow and see if it'll ever be updated." Well, first of all let me apologize with how long it took me to update. If it makes you feel any better, I now have the first 8 chapters laid out and a general plot going._

_Now, I also just caught up on the manga last night (about 1 week after setting the plot) and it turns out that some of my ideas are actually...canon. I went through a brief moment of panic last night debating if I'd continue this story or not because of that. I've (obviously) decided to continue._

_So if you're wondering **this story starts at the end of the Female Titan Arc. **I did this because I started this story while watching the anime, and before reading the manga at all. There may be some parallels to the manga, but at this point (and through ch. 8) those are coincidence._**  
**

_ALSO since I have 3 ongoing stories now, I decided to make a kind of order of updates. The order will be Insubordinate, The Alley Out Back, then Fallout. Why am I telling you this? Because if you are a guest/just want to see how long till the next update, you can pop over to my author page and see which was updated last. This will hopefully mean you should see an update roughly every 3 weeks. (but we all know that's a joke)_

_As always, if you see any weird irregularities/glaring typos let me know._

_**TLDR: Updates approx. every 3 weeks, story starts at end of Female Titan Arc. Enjoy the chapter!**_

* * *

Ackerman arrived at sunrise, bringing their horses along. For a moment, Levi almost asked her how she found them. Then he remembered: he didn't want to know. An unspoken rule passed from him to Eren; don't talk about the events from last night, or else.

"Eren!" The girl clutched his hands earnestly within her own the moment they emerged from the farmhouse. "Are you alright? Do you hurt anywhere?"

Levi did an excellent job of ignoring the two of them, instead walking right to his horse. His body was still stiff from the day before, but he managed to ignore it, instead focusing on the mission to come. But he did need a fresh change of clothes; sleeping in the same pair was disgusting.

"Yeah…" Came Eren's response. "I'm fine."

Levi knew the other's eyes were burning into the back of his head, but ignored it completely. He could deal with Jäger and the problems that came along with him later. Right now they had to meet back up with the rest of their team and continue on the assignment.

"You two can have your little reunion later." He mounted his horse. "Move out." And he rode out without checking to see if they were following behind him or not.

The mission itself was simple; research needed to be done, and with Sawney and Bean dead, they needed new test subjects. And so Levi's team was sent out. Despite Eren's compulsive need to disobey orders, the Corporal was positive they would succeed. After all, if they didn't he'd never hear the end of it from Hanji.

They met with the rest of the squad at the watchtower. Levi dismounted and tossed his reins at one of the newer recruits, informing him to take care of the horses and meet up with everyone after. Eren and Ackerman arrived not long afterward.

"The second objective of the mission," he announced when everyone had arrived, "is to capture a titan or two for research." Nobody reacted at the announcement; they'd already known ahead of time. A benefit of having the 104th trainees as his subordinates was their lack of shock at the parameters. They'd already had to witness the Colossal Titan breach the wall and had been a part of the two operations to capture the Female Titan. This was nothing.

"Springer, Kirschstein, and Braus will remain mounted in order to bring the titans out. The rest of us will lay in wait. The three of them will draw the titans to where we can use the Maneuver Gear, the same location as yesterday, before switching to their own Gear and joining us. Any questions?"

Unsurprisingly, Eren raised his hand. Equally unsurprisingly, Levi chose to ignore him. "Grab your gear." There was a general bustling as everyone made to move out. He saw Eren weaving his way through the others, trying to get to him before he left. Levi ducked out, leaving the other staring around in confusion, wondering where his corporal went.

* * *

Levi naturally waited until Eren cornered him in the stables before he informed the boy he wouldn't be participating in the mission. The brunet had been in the midst of saddling his mount when Levi found him.

"Sir I think you're being –"

"Eren," Levi responded calmly, not even looking at the brunet who was practically foaming at the mouth. "You remember what I said last night?"

_That_ took the other for a spin. "W-w-what does that have to do with anything?" The brat spluttered, averting his eyes.

"I said I would punish you." The corporeal continued emotionlessly. "This is your punishment."

The fire returned as Eren met Levi's gaze. "Waiting for the horses? Sir! That's hardly fair! I want to kill titans! I'm _here_ to –"

"We aren't planning to 'kill all the titans', shitty brat. You would know that if you were listening to something other than yourself."

"Fine! I want to _capture_ titans then! Let me do this!" Levi raised his eyebrow. "Sir!" The other amended.

The older man clicked his tongue in an irritated fashion, eyes darting to the saddle now abandoned on the floor. "Look here, shitty brat, this isn't the first time we've captured a titan. Normal humans were able to do this before, and normal humans will be able to do this again. You're transforming ability isn't necessary. Now unsaddle your horse. Is that clear?" Eren wasn't responding. Shitty, shitty brat. If he had to tell him to obey _one more time_…

The look on the boy's face stopped Levi's thought process for a split second. Eren was standing there, still holding his horse's reins but something was off. He wasn't embarrassed and spluttering, he wasn't defiant, he wasn't…Eren. It was unnerving.

But that was only for a second. In no time at all, Levi regained his composure. It was as if the moment of thoughtlessness never existed. "I said: _is that clear_?" His voice dropped into the dangerous level, promising Eren a slow, twisted death if he didn't respond soon.

"Yes, sir," the brunet said at last, still wearing the same listless expression, still refusing to look up at his commanding officer.

Levi stalked out, irrationally irritated, to check on the others. He was almost immediately intercepted by one wearing a red scarf. "Sir –" She began before being instantly cut-off.

"I don't have time for this Ackerman, we have a mission to complete."

But she was nothing if not persistent. "I was just wondering if it's wise for you to fight with us." His head jerked toward her at this, but her expression remained neutral.

"I don't believe it's your place to question a commanding officer." The words came out in a harsh growl.

"Eren mentioned you were injured, practically immobile yesterday, sir. Perhaps you should rest."

"Enough." Hearing the green-eyed boy's name was enough for the Corporal to lose what little patience he had. "Saddle your horse and prepare to leave. I won't hear any more questions from you." This time, when he walked away from the graduate of the 104th training division, he didn't go anywhere that would allow another one to appear.

* * *

Eren heard, more than saw, Levi and the others leave. He could almost see Mikasa's face when she realized he wouldn't be joining. At first she'd be irritated the corporal didn't tell her anything, then she'd be relieved she wouldn't have to 'take care' of him.

Because, after all, he was just a nuisance.

He'd meant to fight Levi until the end about not at least participating in the mission – this was why he was allowed to be here, allowed to _live_ – but then he'd said it. The one thing Eren didn't want to hear. Not from him.

_Normal humans were able to this before._

Because it was true, wasn't it? He wasn't normal; he was a monster. And he'd almost forgotten about that, almost let himself believe he was a human again. But then he remembered; he wasn't really human. He was just a monster.

Mechanically, he unsaddled his mount.

So this was what he was left to do. Wait while everyone else risked their lives yet again, and collect the horses as they returned. What a joke.

Here he'd wasted his life training, dreaming of the day he'd join the Scouting Legion and _finally_ get to kill all the titans. He'd even had _Annie_ teach him her special hand-to-hand combat skills.

Something painful twisted in his stomach at the thought, and he quickly changed to another before he could continue down that path.

He was Eren Jäger, virtually ordinary. He wasn't the brightest in their class; that was Armin. He wasn't the strongest; that was Reiner. And he certainly wasn't the best; that was Mikasa. The only thing he had was his determination, his _stubbornness_. Without them, he was just another mediocre guy who could do mediocre things with some gas in tubes attached to his hips.

_You're not needed._

_Fuck_… He slipped down into the hay, blanket in hand. _I'm so useless right now._

He leaned his head back against the wall, trying to think of something to distract him from his current train of thought. An image of Levi lying on that bed the night before swam through his mind. Unconsciously, Eren closed his eyes, remembering.

The corporal had looked so lost for some reason. His muscles had all seized up in shock, and he was unable to move. Eren supposed he'd felt helpless – probably about as helpless as Eren himself felt now – relying on his subordinate like that.

And he'd always wanted to kiss Levi.

But he hadn't realized what he was doing until it was too late. He tried to fix it, tried to back away before he was murdered by the shorter man.

So it came as a shock when Levi had pulled him back down. For a moment he pretended it meant something; Levi wanted him too. But then the other had taken it further, and Eren realized that the _want_ the Corporal had for him and the _want_ he had for the Corporal weren't quite the same.

And now he was being punished for it.

He shook himself mentally, standing up and moving to unbridle his horse. This was worse than a beating, this waiting. Levi probably knew it too. He probably knew it was killing Eren inside, waiting to find out which of his friends lived and which didn't.

SLAM. He threw his fists into the wall of the stable, causing his horse to jump. He needed to stop thinking if he was going to be of any use when the others returned.

* * *

The first horses arrived not long after Eren finally managed to brush his own down. He collected them as they ran in, taking them into the stables and unsaddling them in turn. He concentrated on the movement of his hand, ensuring everything was done perfectly. This was as much to appease the Corporal as it was to calm his own mind. Having something to do helped.

Soon, all but four of the mounts had returned, and all he had to do was wait for everyone. The sun was beginning to ride low in the sky, and Eren was starting to countdown until the time he went out in search of them despite orders, when shouts reached his ears. He bit down on his lower lip nervously, wondering if the sounds were those of victory or defeat. More than anything he didn't want to see a memento of the dead: the pieces of pocket symbolizing someone was once a member of the Legion, or a bit of red cloth that came from Mikasa's scarf…

"Eren! Yo!" A figure burst out of the trees and ran toward him. With the sun glaring on his face, Eren had a hard time telling who it was until they were closer.

"Connie…?"

The boy in question was now standing practically breathless in front of him, grinning from ear to ear. "Check out what we got." He gestured behind him to the rest of the group now emerging. Four were mounted, dragging what looked like two titans behind them. So they really had succeeded. Silently, Eren counted the silhouettes approaching, releasing the breath he hadn't realized he was holding in a sigh at the number. Everyone was there. Everyone survived.

This had to be a new record.

One of the mounted figures jumped down as they reached Eren, tossing the green-eyed boy the reins. When he saw it was Jean, he scowled, but the other simply smirked. "Connie here will tell you he helped, but I'll let you in on a little secret; he didn't."

The other practically screeched in response. "I did too, Jean! Don't go telling lies just because you're a dick!"

"You're ridiculous, both of you." Sasha dismounted next.

"Even Sasha was more useful than you this time." Jean continued.

"Hey!"

"I was just as useful as she was!" Connie retaliated.

"No you weren't." Jean turned back toward Eren, who was listening to them in a state of relieved shock. "You should've seen it. She did this crazy thing with her blades and shot them out like some kind of _arrow_…"

"Just because she had a cool move did not make her better…!"

"Then Mikasa, well was awesome as usual, and brought the 9 meter class down to its knees practically singlehandedly…"

"Are you even listening to me Jean?! I was _just as valuable a team member as Sasha_…"

"And I swear Reiner and Berdholt have been doing this since they were born because…"

"Enough." A colder voice broke through their conversation. "It's still daylight, which means there are still titans wandering about." Levi dismounted, tossing his reins blindly at Eren – who managed to catch them without difficulty. "The titans still need to be contained. Leave Jäger to his task." The green-eyed boy could swear the other gave him a condescending glance before stalking away.

Fine. It's not like he waited for them _all day_ worrying if anyone had died. Leave him to his task of 'taking care of the horses'. See if he cared. He pulled the reins harsher than he meant as he led them away and got a snort from Levi's black mount in response.

At that moment, a scream rang out through the air.

He spun around, fearing the worst, not even realizing he'd released his grasp on all the horses. What he saw was a nightmare.

The larger of the captured titans had managed to wriggle free from its bonds somehow, and now had Connie in one hand. Eren supposed he was the one who screamed. The titan raised its fist toward its mouth, the intention clear, and Eren didn't think. He just acted. He brought his own hand to his mouth, biting down harshly on his thumb.

* * *

In the end it happened so fast. One moment, he was directing the group in charge of securing the 5 meter titan in how to properly secure it for the night; the next, there was a scream followed immediately by loud footsteps charging toward them.

Levi should've been more surprised, really. But the fact Eren had transformed into a titan and was now beating the one who had been holding one of the new squad members in its hand was not unexpected. He clicked his teeth together in irritation before turning to the members still securing the 5 meter.

"Continue your job. I will handle this." They nodded. Those two at least knew how to obey orders. The others should take a leaf out of their book. Especially Eren. That disrespectful, arrogant, baby-faced…

He activated his 3D gear, latching onto the nearest tree trunk. Eren had to be stopped. When he was in this state, he would rage until his strength gave out, and they needed at least one test subject. The entire mission would be marked as a fail if they couldn't manage that. And quite honestly, they didn't need any more failures. Not after last time.

The Corporal flew into the air as the rogue titan punched his arm straight through the other's neck, out the side where the weak spot was. The 9 meter fell to the ground. Levi ignored that, instead focusing on changing his trajectory to land on the other's shoulder. He would cut that stupid, insolent, shitty brat out of this titan body and give him a beating like he had never known.

As he landed, the large titan's body gave a huge shudder, nearly throwing Levi back off. Were he anyone less, he would've fallen. The rogue titan shuddered again, this time collapsing down onto its knees. Levi thrust one of his blades into its skin, not daring to jump off and allow Eren to escape the now guaranteed beating.

There was a loud growl, and then Eren himself was ejected from the back of its neck. It wasn't like the first time Levi had met the brat, when Ackerman and the other blond one pulled him out. No. This time the boy was literally thrown out of the titan's body.

Levi relinquished his hold on his blade, instead jumping up to catch the other in midair, before landing a bit away from the now rapidly disappearing body. The boy still had bits of titan flesh on him, which were leaving dark red burn marks as they, too, disappeared.

Something was wrong. Eren was normally, well, _conscious_ when he came out of his titan form. But this time he wasn't. This whole mission, something had felt off about the brat, but Levi couldn't quite put his finger on it. This was the last straw.

"Ackerman."

"Yes, sir." She appeared immediately beside him, and he wondered just how far away she'd been to begin with. A quick survey of her appearance revealed her internal thoughts. She was gazing intently at Eren's unmoving form in his arms, fists clenched tightly at her sides. Everything about her reeked of concern for the boy.

"Get back on your horse. You're going to take Eren back to Hanji now." She nodded curtly, walking back to grab her mount. He rose and followed her, easily holding the brat's body. The brat felt lighter than he remembered. It concerned him slightly.

When he reached Ackerman, one of the obedient boys from earlier – he couldn't remember their names, and he wasn't sure it was worth it to try – lifted Eren onto the horse for him. "Take him straight to Hanji, understand? No hospitals. No doctors. Just Hanji."

The girl nodded, her lips drawn together in a thin, straight line. With a final nod, Levi released his hold on the horse's reins – when had he grabbed them again? – indicating her dismissal. She was about to ride out when another thought struck him. "Wait."

He turned back to the blond who had helped him with Eren. "You. Go with her." The other nodded, and within moments the two of them were racing through the growing darkness back to the wall.


End file.
